Electronic component mounting system and electronic component mounting method

ABSTRACT

An object of the invention is to provide an electronic component mounting system and an electronic component mounting method which can execute component mounting work on a plurality of boards simultaneously, concurrently and efficiently so that high productivity and responsiveness to production of many items can be achieved consistently. Provided is an electronic component mounting line ( 1 ) which is formed so that a screen printing portion having a plurality of individual printing mechanisms capable of executing setup change works individually is connected to an upstream side of a component mounting portion having a plurality of board conveyance mechanisms, and which is configured so that either of a first work mode in which component mounting work is continuously executed on a fixed board type in all individual mounting lanes (L 1  and L 2 ) and a second work mode in which component mounting work is intermittently executed in one individual mounting lane while setup change work is repeated in corresponding one of the individual printing mechanisms whenever board types are changed from one to another in the individual mounting lane is selectively designated in multi-board mounting work in which the individual mounting lanes are operated to execute component mounting work on a plurality of boards simultaneously and concurrently.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to an electronic component mounting systemand an electronic component mounting method for mounting electroniccomponents on boards to produce mounted boards.

BACKGROUND ART

An electronic component mounting system for mounting electroniccomponents on boards to produce mounted boards has an electroniccomponent mounting line which is configured so that a screen printingmodule for printing soldering paste on electronic components, anelectronic component mounting module for mounting electronic componentson boards after printing, etc. are connected (e.g. see Patent Document1). A prior technique example described in this Patent Document hasdisclosed configuration in which a screen printing module, an electroniccomponent mounting module and a reflow module are connected in series.

PRIOR TECHNICAL DOCUMENT Patent Document

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent No. 3562450

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Problem that the Invention is to Solve

In the recent electronic industry, diversification in production formhas advanced so that suitable change between conventional massproduction of one and same items and small volume production of manyitems has become the mainstream. For example, in a mounting line forproducing circuit boards for cell phones, etc., hot-selling popularmodels newly on sale need to be mass-produced in a short term in orderto satisfy a temporarily increasing demand. On the contrary, modelshaving excellent characteristic in functional and design aspects, etc.and firmly popular among a specific customer base need to be produced insmall lots for a long term. Because such models often have a widevariety of products, small volume production of many items accompaniedby frequent model change cannot but be used for these models.

In order to meet such diversification in demand, suitable use of eithermass production of one and the same items or small volume production ofmany items is required in accordance with temporary demand forecastingand a situation of accepted orders on a production site. Specifically, aplurality of general-purpose electronic component mounting lines areprovided, and board types to be produced are distributed to therespective mounting lines in accordance with a production plan which isalways updated. However, conventional electronic component mountingequipment inclusive of the Patent Document example has not beenconfigured to efficiently support the production form in which massproduction of one and the same items and small volume production of manyitems are mixed, so that it is difficult for the conventional electroniccomponent mounting equipment to achieve high productivity andresponsiveness to production of many items consistently.

Therefore, an object of the invention is to provide an electroniccomponent mounting system and an electronic component mounting methodwhich can execute component mounting work on a plurality of boardssimultaneously, concurrently and efficiently so that high productivityand responsiveness to production of many items can be achievedconsistently.

Means for Solving the Problem

The electronic component mounting system according to the invention isan electronic component mounting system formed so that a screen printingportion for printing electronic component joint paste on boards isdisposed on an upstream side of a component mounting portion formounting electronic components on the boards, the electronic componentmounting system including: individual printing mechanisms which areprovided in the screen printing portion and controlled individually sothat printing operations can be performed independently and setup changeworks due to change in print target board type can be executedindividually; board conveyance mechanisms which are provided in thecomponent mounting portion to convey the boards printed and conveyed outof the individual printing mechanisms respectively, and componentmounting mechanisms which are provided in the component mounting portionto execute component mounting works on the boards conveyed by the boardconveyance mechanisms respectively; a mode instruction portion whichdesignates a work mode indicating a mode of component mounting work tobe executed by each of individual mounting lanes in multi-board mountingwork in which the individual mounting lanes each composed of acombination of corresponding one of the individual printing mechanisms,corresponding one of the board conveyance mechanisms and correspondingone of the component mounting mechanisms are operated to executecomponent mounting work on boards simultaneously and concurrently; and acontrol portion which controls the screen printing portion and thecomponent mounting portion in accordance with the designated work mode;wherein: the mode instruction portion selectively designates either of afirst work mode in which component mounting work is continuouslyexecuted on a single board type in each individual mounting lane, and asecond work mode in which component mounting work is intermittentlyexecuted on a plurality of board types in one individual mounting lanewhile the setup change work is executed repeatedly in the individualprinting mechanism of the individual mounting lane whenever the boardtypes are changed from one to another in the individual mounting lane.

The electronic component mounting method according to the invention isan electronic component mounting method performed by an electroniccomponent mounting system formed so that a screen printing portion forprinting electronic component joint paste on boards is disposed on anupstream side of a component mounting portion for mounting electroniccomponents on the boards, the electronic component mounting systemincluding: individual printing mechanisms which are provided in thescreen printing portion and controlled individually so that printingoperations can be performed independently and setup change works due tochange in print target board type can be executed individually; boardconveyance mechanisms which are provided in the component mountingportion to convey the boards printed and conveyed out of the individualprinting mechanisms respectively, and component mounting mechanismswhich are provided in the component mounting portion to executecomponent mounting works on the boards conveyed by the board conveyancemechanisms respectively; a mode instruction portion which designates awork mode indicating a mode of component mounting work to be executed byeach of individual mounting lanes in multi-board mounting work in whichthe individual mounting lanes each composed of a combination ofcorresponding one of the individual printing mechanisms, correspondingone of the board conveyance mechanisms and corresponding one of thecomponent mounting mechanisms are operated to execute component mountingwork on boards simultaneously and concurrently; and a control portionwhich controls the screen printing portion and the component mountingportion in accordance with the designated work mode; wherein: the modeinstruction portion selectively designates either of a first work modein which component mounting work is continuously executed on a singleboard type in each individual mounting lane, and a second work mode inwhich component mounting work is intermittently executed on a pluralityof board types in one individual mounting lane while the setup changework is executed repeatedly in the individual printing mechanism of theindividual mounting lane whenever the board types are changed from oneto another in the individual mounting lane.

Effect of the Invention

According to the invention, provided is an electronic component mountingsystem which is formed so that a screen printing portion having aplurality of individual printing mechanisms is connected to an upstreamside of a component mounting portion having a plurality of boardconveyance mechanisms, and which is configured so that either of a firstwork mode in which component mounting work is continuously executed on afixed board type in all individual mounting lanes and a second work modein which component mounting work is intermittently executed in oneindividual mounting lane while setup change work is repeated incorresponding one of the individual printing mechanisms whenever boardtypes are changed from one to another in the individual mounting lane isselectively designated in multi-board mounting work in which theindividual mounting lanes are operated to execute component mountingwork on a plurality of boards simultaneously and concurrently. In thismanner, both mass production of one and the same items and small volumeproduction of many items can be used suitably selectively by oneelectronic component mounting line, so that high productivity andresponsiveness to production of many items can be achieved consistently.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of an electroniccomponent mounting system according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing part of the electronic component mountingsystem according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a screen printing module in the electroniccomponent mounting system according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the screen printing module in theelectronic component mounting system according to an embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the screen printing module in theelectronic component mounting system according to an embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of an application/inspection module in theelectronic component mounting system according to an embodiment of theinvention.

FIGS. 7 (a) to (c) are views for explaining operation of theapplication/inspection module in the electronic component mountingsystem according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing part of the electronic component mountingsystem according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of an electronic component mounting module inthe electronic component mounting system according to an embodiment ofthe invention.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view of a mounting/inspection module in theelectronic component mounting system according to an embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control systemfor the electronic component mounting system according to an embodimentof the invention.

FIG. 12 is a view for explaining operation of the electronic componentmounting system according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 13 is a view for explaining operation of the electronic componentmounting system according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 14 is a view for explaining operation of the electronic componentmounting system according to an embodiment of the invention.

MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

An embodiment of the invention will be described below with reference tothe drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of anelectronic component mounting system according to an embodiment of theinvention. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing part of the electroniccomponent mounting system according to an embodiment of the invention.FIG. 3 is a plan view of a screen printing module in the electroniccomponent mounting system according to an embodiment of the invention.FIGS. 4 and 5 are sectional views of the screen printing module in theelectronic component mounting system according to an embodiment of theinvention. FIG. 6 is a sectional view of an application/inspectionmodule in the electronic component mounting system according to anembodiment of the invention. (a) to (c) of FIG. 7 are views forexplaining operation of the application/inspection module in theelectronic component mounting system according to an embodiment of theinvention. FIG. 8 is a plan view showing part of the electroniccomponent mounting system according to an embodiment of the invention.FIG. 9 is a sectional view of an electronic component mounting module inthe electronic component mounting system according to an embodiment ofthe invention. FIG. 10 is a sectional view of a mounting/inspectionmodule in the electronic component mounting system according to anembodiment of the invention. FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing theconfiguration of a control system for the electronic component mountingsystem according to an embodiment of the invention. FIGS. 12, 13 and 14are views for explaining operation of the electronic component mountingsystem according to an embodiment of the invention.

The configuration of the electronic component mounting system will bedescribed first with reference to FIG. 1. An electronic componentmounting line 1 for forming this electronic component mounting systemhas a function of producing mounted boards on which electroniccomponents are mounted. The electronic component mounting line 1 isconfigured so that respective modules, i.e. a board supply module M1, ascreen printing module M2, a board distributing module M3, anapplication/inspection module M4, electronic component mounting modulesM5, M6 and M7, a mounting/inspection module M8, a reflow module M9 and aboard collecting module M10 are connected linearly in a board conveyancedirection (X direction) in view from the upstream side (left side inFIG. 1). These respective modules are connected to a host computer 3through an LAN system 2. The host computer 3 generally controlscomponent mounting works executed by the respective modules in theelectronic component mounting line 1.

Each board fed from the board supply module M1 located on the uppermoststream side is conveyed to the screen printing module M2. In the screenprinting module M2, cream solder which is electronic component jointpaste is printed on the board. Then, the board is delivered to theapplication/inspection module M4 by the board distributing module M3. Inthe application/inspection module M4, application of an electroniccomponent bonding resin and inspection of the application are performedon the board. After inspection, electronic components are mounted on theboard by the electronic component mounting modules M5, M6 and M7. Then,mounting of the electronic components and inspection after mounting areperformed by the mounting/inspection module M8. After inspection, theboard is conveyed into the reflow module M9. In the reflow module M9,the board after execution of component mounting operation is heated toheat the cream solder to thereby join the electronic components to theboard by the solder. After the soldering, the board is collected by theboard collecting module M10 and stored in the board collecting moduleM10.

In the aforementioned configuration, the screen printing module M2 formsa screen printing portion which prints electronic component joint pasteon the board. The electronic component mounting modules M5, M6 and M7form a component mounting portion which mounts electronic components onthe board. The application/inspection module M4 forms anapplication/inspection portion which applies an electronic componentbonding resin and inspects states before and after application. That is,the electronic component mounting line 1 is provided as an electroniccomponent mounting system which is configured so that the screenprinting portion for printing electronic component joint paste on theboard and the application/inspection portion for applying an electroniccomponent bonding resin and inspecting states before and afterapplication are disposed on the upstream side of the component mountingportion for mounting electronic components on the board.

The respective modules, i.e. the board supply module M1 to the boardcollecting module M10 have two lanes of board conveyance mechanismswhich can convey boards individually and respectively. Workingmechanisms such as individual printing mechanisms for performing screenprinting, component mounting mechanisms, etc. correspond to the boardconveyance mechanisms in the respective modules. Accordingly, componentmounting works can be executed on boards conveyed by the boardconveyance mechanisms in the respective modules, simultaneously andconcurrently by the corresponding working mechanisms.

A board conveyance lane formed by connection of the board conveyancemechanisms in the respective modules is combined with a correspondingindividual printing mechanism and a corresponding component mountingmechanism to thereby form a mounting lane in which mounting work isexecuted on a board while the board is conveyed. In the electroniccomponent mounting line 1 described in this embodiment, each module hastwo board conveyance mechanisms, so that two individual mounting lanesL1 and L2 are formed. That is, in the electronic component mounting line1, a plurality of individual mounting lanes each formed by combiningcorresponding one of individual printing mechanisms, corresponding oneof board conveyance mechanisms and corresponding one of componentmounting mechanisms are operated so that component mounting works areexecuted on a plurality of boards simultaneously and concurrently.

Structures of the respective modules forming the electronic componentmounting line 1 will be described below. The board supply module M1 tothe application/inspection module M4 will be described first withreference to FIGS. 2 to 7. In FIG. 2, the board supply module M1 isformed so that first board supply conveyors 6A and second board supplyconveyors 6B are disposed in a board supply direction above a firstboard supply mechanism 5A and a second board supply mechanism 5B inwhich boards 4 are stored respectively. The first board supply conveyors6A and the second board supply conveyors 6B are connected to boardconveyance conveyors 28 (see FIG. 3) of the screen printing module M2adjacent on the downstream side. The boards 4 taken out from the firstboard supply mechanism 5A and the second board supply mechanism 5B arefed to the board conveyance conveyors 28 of the screen printing moduleM2 by the first board supply conveyors 6A and the second board supplyconveyors 6B (arrows a).

The board distributing module M3 which is formed so that first boarddistributing conveyors 10A and second board distributing conveyors 10Bare provided on an upper surface of a base 9 so as to be movable in a Ydirection is provided adjacently on the downstream side of the screenprinting module M2. After printing performed by the screen printingmodule M2, the boards 4 are delivered to the application/inspectionmodule M4 through the board distributing module M3. Incidentally, theboard distributing module M3 as a constituent member of the electroniccomponent mounting line 1 may be provided as a single module asdescribed here or may be provided as a board distributing portionbelonging to the screen printing module M2.

The structure of the screen printing module M2 will be described nextwith reference to FIGS. 3, 4 and 5. FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken inthe direction of arrows A-A in FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a detailed sectionalview for explaining the structure of each of a first individual printingmechanism 8A and a second individual printing mechanism 8B. The screenprinting module M2 is formed so that the first individual printingmechanism 8A and the second individual printing mechanism 8B each ofwhich has a function of printing soldering paste on a board and whichare controlled individually to be able to perform printing operationindependently are disposed symmetrically in parallel on a base 7. Eachof the first individual printing mechanism 8A and the second individualprinting mechanism 8B is provided with a board alignment portion 21 forpositioning the board 4 in a print position and holding the board 4. Amask plate 32 provided with pattern holes and a squeegee movingmechanism 37 for sliding squeegees 36 (see FIG. 5) of a squeegee unit 33on the mask plate 32 supplied with paste are disposed above each boardalignment portion 21. The mask plate 32, the squeegee unit 33 and thesqueegee moving mechanism 37 form a screen printing mechanism whichprints paste on the board 4.

The detailed configuration of the board alignment portion 21, thesqueegee unit 33 and the squeegee moving mechanism 37 will be describedwith reference to FIG. 5. In FIG. 5, the board alignment portion 21 isformed so that a Y-axis table 22, an X-axis table 23 and a θ-axis table24 are stacked and a first Z-axis table 25 and a second Z-axis table 26are further combined thereon. The configuration of the first Z-axistable 25 will be described. On the upper surface side of a horizontalbase plate 24 a provided on an upper surface of the θ-axis table 24, abase plate 25 a likewise horizontal is held by an elevating guidemechanism (not shown) so as to be able to be moved up and down. The baseplate 25 a is moved up and down by a Z-axis elevating mechanism which isformed so that a plurality of feed screws 25 c are driven to rotate by aboard moving Z-axis motor 25 b through a belt 25 d. Two vertical frames25 e are disposed erectly on the base plate 25 a. A pair of boardconveyance conveyors 28 are held on upper end portions of the verticalframes 25 e.

The board conveyance conveyors 28 are disposed in parallel to the boardconveyance direction (X direction—direction perpendicular to the papersurface in FIG. 5). The board 4 as a print target is conveyed whileopposite end portions of the board 4 are supported by the boardconveyance conveyors 28. By driving the first Z-axis table 25, the board4 held by the board conveyance conveyors 28 can be moved up and downtogether with the board conveyance conveyors 28 relative to the screenprinting mechanism.

The configuration of the second Z-axis table 26 will be described. Ahorizontal base plate 26 a is disposed between the board conveyanceconveyors 28 and the base plate 25 a so as to be able to move up anddown along the elevating guide mechanism (not shown). The base plate 26a is moved up and down by a Z-axis elevating mechanism which is formedso that a plurality of feed screws 26 c are driven to rotate by anunder-setting portion elevating motor 26 b through a belt 26 d. A boardunder-setting portion 27 is detachably attached to an upper surface ofthe base plate 26 a. The board under-setting portion 27 under-sets andholds the board 4 conveyed to a print position for the screen printingmechanism.

In printing operation performed by the first individual printingmechanism 8A and the second individual printing mechanism 8B, the boardconveyance conveyors 28 receive boards 4 fed from the board supplymodule M1 through the first board supply conveyors 6A and the secondboard supply conveyors 6B respectively and convey the boards 4 to printpositions for screen printing mechanisms to position the boards 4. Afterprinting executed by the screen printing mechanisms, the boards 4 areconveyed out of the print positions by the board conveyance conveyors 28and delivered to the first distributing conveyors 10A and the seconddistributing conveyors 10B of the board distributing module M3.

By driving the second Z-axis table 26, the board under-setting portion27 is moved up and down relative to the board 4 held by the boardconveyance conveyors 28. An under-setting surface of the boardunder-setting portion 27 abuts on a lower surface of the board 4 so thatthe board under-setting portion 27 supports the board 4 from the lowersurface side. A clamp mechanism 29 is disposed on upper surfaces of theboard conveyance conveyors 28. The clamp mechanism 29 has a pair ofclamp members 29 a disposed oppositely in the left and right. By movingone of the clamp members 29 a by a driving mechanism 29 b, the board 4is clamped from opposite sides so as to be fixed.

The structure of the screen printing mechanism disposed above the boardalignment portion 21 to print paste on the board conveyed to the printposition will be described next. In FIGS. 3 and 5, a mask plate 32 isstretched over a mask frame 31 held by a mask holder (not shown), andpattern holes 32 a are provided in the mask plate 32 so as to correspondto a print region in the board 4. The squeegee unit 33 is disposed abovethe mask plate 32 so as to be able to be moved by the squeegee movingmechanism 37.

The squeegee unit 33 is formed so that two squeegee elevating mechanisms35 for moving up and down the pair of squeegees 36 disposed opposite toeach other are disposed on a horizontal moving plate 34. The squeegeeunit 33 is moved horizontally in the Y direction and a directionopposite to the Y direction by the squeegee moving mechanism 37 which isformed so that a feed screw 37 b driven to rotate by a squeegee movingmotor 37 a is thread-engaged with a nut member 37 c fixed to a lowersurface of the moving plate 34. Incidentally, the mask plate 32, themoving plate 34, the squeegee moving mechanism 37, etc. in the firstindividual printing mechanism 8A of the first and second individualprinting mechanisms 8A and 8B are not shown in FIG. 3.

As shown in FIG. 3, a head X-axis table 40X moved in the Y direction bya head Y-axis table 40Y is disposed above each board alignment portion21. A camera head unit 38 and a mask cleaning unit 39 are attached tothe head X-axis table 40X. The camera head unit 38 has a boardrecognition camera 38 a for capturing an image of the board 4 fromabove, and a mask recognition camera 38 b for capturing an image of themask plate 32 from the lower surface side. The mask cleaning unit 39 hasa cleaning head for cleaning the lower surface of the mask plate 32.

By driving the head X-axis table 40X and the head Y-axis table 40Y tomove the camera head unit 38 and the mask cleaning unit 39 horizontally,recognition of the board 4 and recognition of the mask plate 32 can beperformed simultaneously while the lower surface of the mask plate 32can be cleaned in accordance with necessity. When these works are notperformed, the camera head unit 38 and the mask cleaning unit 39 arelocated to be retracted from above to a side of the board alignmentportion 21.

Printing operation performed by the first and second individual printingmechanisms 8A and 8B will be described next. First, each board 4 as aprint target is conveyed to a print position by the board conveyanceconveyors 28 and aligned with the board under-setting portion 27. Then,the second Z-axis table 26 is driven to move up the board under-settingportion 27, so that the board under-setting portion 27 under-sets thelower surface of the board 4. After the board alignment portion 21 isthen driven to align the board 4 with the mask plate 32, the firstZ-axis table 25 is driven to move up the board 4 together with the boardconveyance conveyors 28 so that the board 4 abuts on the lower surfaceof the mask plate 32 provided with the pattern holes 32 a.

Then, the board 4 is clamped by the clamp mechanism 29 to thereby fixthe horizontal position of the board 4. In this state, one of the twosqueegees 36 is moved down so as to abut on the mask plate 32. Then, thesqueegee 36 is slid in a squeegeeing direction (Y direction) on the maskplate 32 supplied with paste such as cream solder to thereby print thepaste on the board 4 through the pattern holes 32 a. After completion ofprinting, the board 4 is moved down together with the board conveyanceconveyors 28 so that the board 4 is separated from the lower surface ofthe mask plate 32. Further, after clamping by the clamp mechanism 29 iscancelled, the board 4 is conveyed to the downstream side by the boardconveyance conveyors 28.

The conveyance of each board 4 to the downstream side after printing isperformed through the board distributing module M3. On this occasion,the first board distributing conveyors 10A to which a printed board 4 isdelivered from the first individual printing mechanism 8A can be movedin the Y direction to a position of alignment with the first boardconveyance mechanism 12A of the application/inspection module M4 asshown in FIG. 3, so that the board 4 can be delivered to the first boardconveyance mechanism 12A and conveyed along the first individualmounting lane L1 shown in FIG. 1 (see the arrow C1). Moreover, the firstboard distributing conveyors 10A to which the printed board 4 isdelivered from the board conveyance conveyors 28 of the first individualprinting mechanism 8A can be moved in the Y direction to a position ofalignment with the second board conveyance mechanism 12B of theapplication/inspection module M4 so that the board 4 can be delivered tothe second board conveyance mechanism 12B and conveyed along the secondindividual mounting lane L2 shown in FIG. 1 (see the arrow C2).Similarly with respect to the board 4 printed by the second individualprinting mechanism 8B, either of the first and second board conveyancemechanisms 12A and 12B can be selected as a destination of delivery.

That is, in the electronic component mounting line 1, a boarddistributing pattern in accordance with which the board distributingmodule M3 distributes the boards 4 to the first and second boardconveyance mechanisms 12A and 12B after printing operation performed bythe first and second individual printing mechanisms 8A and 8B can beselected arbitrarily. The boards 4 distributed to the first and secondboard conveyance mechanisms 12A and 12B are conveyed along the first andsecond individual mounting lanes L1 and L2 respectively, so that theboards 4 are conveyed into board conveyance mechanisms provided in thecomponent mounting portion including the electronic component mountingmodule M5 and modules following the electronic component mounting moduleM5. Accordingly, the board distributing module M3 serves as a boarddistributing portion which can use any board distributing pattern sothat printed boards conveyed out of the first and second individualprinting mechanisms 8A and 8B as a plurality of individual printingmechanisms can be distributed to a plurality of board conveyancemechanisms provided in the component mounting portion.

When the board type is changed in the aforementioned printing operation,setup change work in each of the first and second individual printingmechanisms 8A and 8B such as mask exchange work for exchanging the maskplate 32 for a mask plate corresponding to the target board type, widthadjustment work for adjusting the conveyance width of the boardconveyance conveyors 28 to the width of the target board, etc. areperformed in accordance with necessity. Because configuration is made sothat boards 4 are fed to the first and second individual printingmechanisms 8A and 8B individually and respectively and the boards 4 canbe conveyed out of the first and second individual printing mechanisms8A and 8B individually after printing, printing operation can beperformed on the boards 4 independently and the aforementioned setupchange work in one of the first and second individual printingmechanisms 8A and 8B can be executed independently regardless of theoperating state of the other individual printing mechanism. That is, thescreen printing module M2 is formed to have a plurality of individualprinting mechanisms (such as the first individual printing mechanism 8Aand the second individual printing mechanism 8B) which are controlledindividually so that printing operations can be performed independentlyand setup change works involved in change of the board type as a subjectof printing can be executed individually.

The configuration of the application/inspection module M4 will bedescribed with reference to FIGS. 2 and 6. FIG. 6 shows a B-B section inFIG. 2. The first board conveyance mechanism 12A and the second boardconveyance mechanism 12B are disposed in the X direction in the centerof an upper surface of a base 11. The first and second board conveyancemechanisms 12A and 12B convey the printed boards 4 conveyed out of thefirst and second individual printing mechanisms 8A and 8B of the screenprinting module M2 and delivered through the board distributing moduleM3, position the boards 4 in work positions in theapplication/inspection module M4 and hold the boards 4.

A Y-axis moving table 13 is disposed in the Y direction at anX-direction downstream side end portion in the upper surface of the base11. A first X-axis moving table 14A and a second X-axis moving table 14Bare attached to the Y-axis moving table 13. As shown in FIG. 6, theX-axis moving tables 14A and 14B can be slid in the Y direction alongguide rails 13 a disposed on a side surface of the Y-axis moving table13, so that the X-axis moving tables 14A and 14B are driven in the Ydirection by a linear motor mechanism built in the Y-axis moving table13. An application head 15 and an inspection head 16 are attached to thefirst X-axis moving table 14A and the second X-axis moving table 14Bthrough X-axis moving attachment bases respectively. The applicationhead 15 and the inspection head 16 are driven in the X direction bylinear motor mechanisms built in the first X-axis moving table 14A andthe second X-axis moving table 14B respectively. The Y-axis moving table13, the first X-axis moving table 14A and the second X-axis moving table14B form a head moving mechanism for moving the application head 15 andthe inspection head 16.

The application head 15 is formed in such a manner that a dispenser 15 bis held by a vertical base portion 15 a so that the dispenser 15 b canbe moved up and down. The dispenser 15 b has a function of dischargingan electronic component joint resin adhesive agent from a nozzle 15 cattached to a lower portion of the dispenser 15 b. When the head movingmechanism moves the application head 15 above each of the boards 4 heldby the first and second board conveyance mechanisms 12A and 12B, theresin adhesive agent can be applied on any resin application point onthe board 4.

A waste application unit 17A used together with the application head 15is disposed on a side of the first board conveyance mechanism 12A. Whenthe application head 15 is moved above the waste application unit 17A sothat the dispenser 15 b is moved down to the waste application unit 17A,trial application for confirming the discharge state of the resinadhesive agent or waste application for removing the unnecessary resinadhesive agent deposited on the nozzle 15 c is performed.

The inspection head 16 has a built-in image capturing device forcapturing an image of the board 4 to be inspected. The head movingmechanism moves the inspection head 16 above each of the boards 4 heldby the first and second board conveyance mechanisms 12A and 12B, so thatthe inspection head 16 captures an image of the board 4 to be inspected.A cart 18 attached to the base 11 from a side has a built-in recognitionprocessing unit 18 a. The image captured by the inspection head 16 issubjected to recognition processing by the recognition processing unit18 a, so that inspection based on image recognition about predeterminedinspection items is performed. A calibration unit 17B is provided on aside of the second board conveyance mechanism 12B. When the inspectionhead 16 is moved above the calibration unit 17B to capture an image ofthe calibration unit 17B, the image-capturing state at the time of imageacquisition by the inspection head 16 is calibrated.

Work operation in the application/inspection module M4 will be describednext with reference to FIG. 7.

In (a) of FIG. 7, boards 4 are held by the first and second boardconveyance mechanisms 12A and 12B respectively. Here, the board 4 heldby the first board conveyance mechanism 12A is first a subject ofinspection. The inspection head 16 moves above the board 4 and capturesan image of an inspection target position of the board 4. Then, as shownin (b) of FIG. 7, after the inspection head 16 is retracted from abovethe board 4 as the subject of inspection, the application head 15 ismoved above the board 4. Then, the dispenser 15 b is moved down, so thatthe resin adhesive agent 19 is applied on an application point of theupper surface of the board 4 by the nozzle 15 c.

Then, as shown in (c) of FIG. 7, after the application head 15 isretracted from above the board 4, the inspection head 16 is moved abovethe board 4 again so that an image of the board 4 on which the resinadhesive agent 19 is applied is captured. A result of the imagecapturing is subjected to recognition processing by the recognitionprocessing unit 18 a, so that pre-application inspection for inspectingthe state of the board 4 before resin application and post-applicationinspection for the state of the same after resin application areperformed. On this occasion, the application operation and theinspection processing can be completed without movement of the board 4in the pre-application inspection, the application operation and thepost-application inspection. Incidentally, the mode of inspection in theapplication/inspection module M4 is various. Besides the mode in whichboth pre-application inspection and post-application inspection areexecuted as shown in FIG. 7, the mode in which only one ofpre-application inspection and post-application inspection is executedmay be used.

Although the example shown in FIG. 7 is an example of applicationoperation/inspection operation intended for only the board 4 held by thefirst board conveyance mechanism 12A, application operation/inspectionoperation may be intended for two boards 4 when the target boards 4 areheld by the first and second board conveyance mechanisms 12A and 12Bsimultaneously. In this case, an operation pattern in accordance withwhich application operation/inspection operation can be performed mostefficiently on the two boards 4 is used.

In the configuration of the application/inspection module M4, the firstand second board conveyance mechanisms 12A and 12B serve as a pluralityof board conveyance mechanisms which are provided in the boarddistributing module M3 as an application/inspection portion and whichconvey the respective printed boards 4 conveyed out of the individualprinting mechanisms of the screen printing module M2. The Y-axis movingtable 13, the first X-axis moving table 14A and the application head 15form an application operation mechanism which executes resin applicationoperation on the boards conveyed by the plurality of board conveyancemechanisms.

On the other hand, the Y-axis moving table 13, the second X-axis movingtable 14B, the inspection head 16 and the recognition processing unit 18a form an inspection processing portion which executes pre-applicationinspection and/or post-application inspection on the board 4 beforeand/or after application operation on the board 4 by the applicationhead 15. Thus, when the application operation mechanism and theinspection processing portion are combined with a plurality of boardconveyance mechanisms to form the application/inspection module M4, twofunctions in the electronic component mounting line 1 having individualmounting lanes can be incorporated compactly in one module space.

The structures of the electronic component mounting module M5 to themounting/inspection module M8 will be described next with reference toFIGS. 8, 9 and 10. FIGS. 9 and 10 show a C-C section and a D-D sectionin FIG. 8, respectively. Incidentally, because the electronic componentmounting modules M5, M6 and M7 have the same structure, description willbe made here in the condition that reference numerals and signs aregiven to only the electronic component mounting module M5. In FIGS. 8and 9, a first board conveyance mechanism 42A and a second boardconveyance mechanism 42B are disposed in the X direction in the centerof an upper surface of a base 41. The first and second board conveyancemechanisms 42A and 42B convey boards 4 conveyed out of the first andsecond board conveyance mechanisms 12A and 12B of theapplication/inspection module M4 after application and inspection,position the boards 4 in work positions in the electronic componentmounting modules M5, M6 and M7 and hold the boards 4.

Carts 49 to which a plurality of tape feeders 50 are attached aredisposed on opposite sides of the base 41. Tape supply reels 49 a woundwith carrier tapes T holding electronic components to be mounted areattached to the carts 49 so as to correspond to the tape feeders 50.Each tape feeder 50 pitch-feeds the carrier tape T paid out from thetape supply reel 49 a to thereby supply an electronic component to anextraction position for the component mounting mechanism which will bedescribed below.

A Y-axis moving table 43 is disposed in the Y direction in anX-direction downstream side end portion in the upper surface of the base41. A first X-axis moving table 44A and a second X-axis moving table 44Bare attached to the Y-axis moving table 43. As shown in FIG. 9, thefirst and second X-axis moving tables 44A and 44B can be slid in the Ydirection along guide rails 43 a disposed on a side surface of theY-axis moving table 43. The first and second X-axis moving tables 44Aand 44B are driven in the Y direction by a linear motor mechanism builtin the Y-axis moving table 43. First and second mounting heads 45A and45B are attached to the first and second X-axis moving tables 44A and44B through X-axis moving attachment bases, respectively. The first andsecond mounting heads 45A and 45B are driven in the X direction bylinear motor mechanisms built in the first and second X-axis movingtables 44A and 44B, respectively. The Y-axis moving table 43, the firstX-axis moving table 44A and the second X-axis moving table 44B form ahead moving mechanism for moving the first and second mounting heads 45Aand 45B.

Each of the first and second mounting heads 45A and 45B is formed sothat adsorption nozzles 45 a are detachably attached to the lowerportion of the mounting head. The first and second mounting heads 45Aand 45B are moved by the head moving mechanism and take electroniccomponents out of the tape feeders 50 by the adsorption nozzles 45 a soas to transfer and mount the electronic components onto the boards 4.The first mounting head 45A, the second mounting head 45B and theaforementioned head moving mechanism form a plurality of componentmounting mechanisms (a first component mounting mechanism 46A and asecond component mounting mechanism 46B) which execute componentmounting work on the boards 4 conveyed by the first and second boardconveyance mechanisms 42A and 42B.

A first component recognition camera 47A and a first nozzle storageportion 48A are disposed between the first board conveyance mechanism42A and a corresponding tape feeder 50 while a second componentrecognition camera 47B and a second nozzle storage portion 48B aredisposed between the second board conveyance mechanism 42B and acorresponding tape feeder 50. The first and second component recognitioncameras 47A and 47B are located in moving paths of the first and secondmounting heads 45A and 45B respectively so as to capture images of theelectronic components held by the first and second mounting heads 45Aand 45B from below. By recognition processing of the image capturingresults, displacements of the electronic components held by the firstand second mounting heads 45A and 45B respectively are detected.

The first and second nozzle storage portions 48A and 48B store and holdtypes of adsorption nozzles 45 a to be attached to the first and secondmounting heads 45A and 45B respectively in accordance with the types ofthe electronic components. When the first and second mounting heads 45Aand 45B access the first and second nozzle storage portions 48A and 48Bto execute nozzle exchange operation, the adsorption nozzles 45 aattached to the first and second mounting heads 45A and 45B areexchanged in accordance with the types of the target electroniccomponents.

That is, the component mounting portion including the electroniccomponent mounting modules M5, M6 and M7 has a plurality of boardconveyance mechanisms (the first board conveyance mechanism 12A and thesecond board conveyance mechanism 12B) which convey boards 4 distributedfrom the board distributing module M3 (the board distributing portion)and delivered from the application/inspection module M4, respectively,and a plurality of component mounting mechanisms (the first componentmounting mechanism 46A and the second component mounting mechanism 46B)which execute component mounting work on the boards 4 conveyed by theboard conveyance mechanisms.

The structure of the mounting/inspection module M8 will be describednext with reference to FIG. 10. A first board conveyance mechanism 52Aand a second board conveyance mechanism 52B are disposed in the Xdirection in the center of an upper surface of a base 51. The first andsecond board conveyance mechanisms 52A and 52B convey boards 4 conveyedout of the first and second board conveyance mechanisms 42A and 42B ofthe electronic component mounting module M7 after component mounting,position the boards 4 in work positions in the mounting/inspectionmodule M8 and hold the boards 4. A cart 18 shown in FIG. 6 is disposedon one side of the base 51. A cart 49 shown in FIG. 9 is disposed on theother side of the base 51.

A Y-axis moving table 53 is disposed in the Y direction in anX-direction downstream side end portion in an upper surface of the base51. A first X-axis moving table 54A and a second X-axis moving table 54Bare attached to the Y-axis moving table 53. The first and second X-axismoving tables 54A and 54B can be slid in the Y direction along guiderails 53 a disposed on a side surface of the Y-axis moving table 53. Thefirst and second X-axis moving tables 54A and 54B are driven in the Ydirection by a linear motor mechanism built in the Y-axis moving table53. An inspection head 16 and a mounting head 55 are attached to thefirst and second X-axis moving tables 54A and 54B through X-axis movingattachment bases, respectively. The inspection head 16 and the mountinghead 55 are driven in the X direction by linear motor mechanisms builtin the first and second X-axis moving tables 54A and 54B, respectively.The Y-axis moving table 53, the first X-axis moving table 54A and thesecond X-axis moving table 54B form a head moving mechanism for movingthe inspection head 16 and the mounting head 55.

The mounting head 55 is formed so that adsorption nozzles 55 a aredetachably attached to the lower portion of the mounting head 55.Similarly to the first mounting head 45A and the second mounting head45B in the electronic component mounting modules M5, M6 and M7, themounting head 55 is moved by the head moving mechanism so as to transferand mount electronic components taken out of the tape feeder 50 onto theboards 4 conveyed by the first and second board conveyance mechanisms52A and 52B. The mounting head 55 and the aforementioned head movingmechanism form a component mounting mechanism 56 which executescomponent mounting work on the boards 4 conveyed by the first and secondboard conveyance mechanisms 52A and 52B respectively. The inspectionhead 16 has the same function as that of the inspection head 16 in FIG.6. The inspection head 16 captures images of the boards 4 conveyed bythe first and second board conveyance mechanisms 52A and 52B aftercomponent mounting. When recognition processing is performed on theimage capturing results by the recognition processing unit 18 a,post-mounting inspection for determining whether the mounting state ofthe electronic component on each board 4 is good or not is performed.

In the configuration of the aforementioned electronic component mountingline 1, a conveyance lane formed by connecting the board conveyanceconveyors 28 of the first individual printing mechanism 8A in the screenprinting module M2, the first board conveyance mechanism 12A in theapplication/inspection module M4, the first board conveyance mechanisms42A in the electronic component mounting module M5 to themounting/inspection module M8 and the first board conveyance mechanism52A in the mounting/inspection module M8 forms the first conveyancelane. By combining the first conveyance lane with the first individualprinting mechanism 8A in the screen printing module M2 and the firstcomponent mounting mechanisms 46A in the electronic component mountingmodules M5, M6 and M7, the first individual mounting lane L1 shown inFIG. 1 is formed.

Similarly, a conveyance lane formed by connecting the board conveyanceconveyors 28 of the second individual printing mechanism 8B in thescreen printing module M2, the second board conveyance mechanism 12B inthe application/inspection module M4, the second board conveyancemechanisms 42B in the electronic component mounting modules M5, M6 andM7 and the second board conveyance mechanism 52B in themounting/inspection module M8 forms the second conveyance lane. Bycombining the second conveyance lane with the second individual printingmechanism 8B in the screen printing module M2 and the second componentmounting mechanisms 46B in the electronic component mounting modules M5,M6 and M7, the second individual mounting lane L2 shown in FIG. 1 isformed.

The configuration of a control system for the electronic componentmounting line 1 will be described next with reference to FIG. 11. InFIG. 11, the host computer 3 has a mode instruction portion 60, acontrol portion 61, a communication portion 62, a storage portion 63, anoperation/input portion 64, and a display portion 65. In multi-boardmounting work in which the first and second individual mounting lanes L1and L2 are operated to execute component mounting work on boardssimultaneously and concurrently, the mode instruction portion 60designates a work mode indicating a mode of component mounting work tobe executed by each of the aforementioned individual mounting lanes.Here, the mode instruction portion 60 is designed so that either of afirst work mode 66 a and a second work mode 66 b (which will bedescribed below) is selectively designated in accordance with whetherthe board type is changed or not.

The control portion 61 generally controls work operation executed by thescreen printing module M2, the board distributing module M3, theapplication/inspection module M4, the electronic component mountingmodules M5, M6 and M7 and the mounting/inspection module M8. Here, thecontrol portion 61 controls these respective modules in accordance withthe work mode designated by the mode instruction portion 60.

The communication portion 62 performs signal exchange between themodules ranging from the board supply module M1 to the board collectingmodule M10 forming the electronic component mounting line 1, through theLAN system 2. The storage portion 63 stores not only data and programsnecessary for execution of work operation on the target board type inthe respective modules of the electronic component mounting line 1 butalso information concerned with the aforementioned work mode. That is,the storage portion 63 includes a work mode storage portion 66. A firstwork mode 66 a and a second work mode 66 b are stored in the work modestorage portion 66.

The first work mode 66 a is a mode in which component mounting work isperformed continuously on a single board type without setup change workdue to the board type change in each of the first individual mountinglane L1 and the second individual mounting lane L2. The second work mode66 b is a mode in which component mounting work is performedintermittently on a plurality of board types in one individual mountinglane while setup change work is executed repeatedly in the individualprinting mechanism of the individual mounting lane whenever theplurality of board types are changed from one to another in theindividual mounting lane. The second work mode includes the case wherethe board type is changed in only one of the first and second individualmounting lanes L1 and L2, and the case where the board type is changedin both the first and second individual mounting lanes L1 and L2.

The operation/input portion 64 is an input device such as a touch panelby which a line administrator administrating the electronic componentmounting line 1 inputs various operation instructions. The operationinstructions include the aforementioned work mode instructions. That is,the line administrator inputs a work mode instruction from theoperation/input portion 64 so that the work mode is designated by themode instruction portion 60. The display portion 65 is a display panelsuch as a liquid crystal panel which displays a guidance screen at thetime of inputting an operation instruction, a setup change workinstruction necessary at the time of changing the board type, etc.

Component mounting work executed by the electronic component mountingline 1 will be described next with reference to FIGS. 12, 13 and 14. Thecomponent mounting work described here means a multi-board mounting workin which the first and second individual mounting lanes L1 and L2 areoperated, that is, working mechanisms such as component mountingmechanisms corresponding to board conveyance mechanisms belonging to thefirst and second individual mounting lanes L1 and L2 respectively areoperated to execute component mounting work on boards 4 simultaneouslyand concurrently while the boards 4 are conveyed by the board conveyancemechanisms.

Multi-board mounting work executed according to the first work mode willbe described first with reference to FIG. 12. Here is shown an examplein which component mounting work is performed continuously on a singleboard type (board 4A or board 4B) in each of the first and secondindividual mounting lanes L1 and L2. That is, in the first individualmounting lane L1, the board 4A is first fed from the board supply moduleM1 to the first individual printing mechanism 8A of the screen printingmodule M2, so that printing work is executed on the board 4A by thefirst individual printing mechanism 8A. After printing, the board 4A isconveyed to the application/inspection module M4 through the boarddistributing module M3, so that application of a resin adhesive agentand inspection are executed by the application/inspection module M4.

Then, the board 4A is conveyed into the electronic component mountingmodule M5, so that component mounting work is executed on the board 4Aby the first component mounting mechanism 46A in the electroniccomponent mounting module M5. Moreover, component mounting work is alsoexecuted on the board 4A in the same manner by the electronic componentmounting modules M6 and M7 in the course of conveying the board 4A tothe downstream side successively. After component mounting workperformed by the component mounting mechanism 56 and post-mountinginspection performed by the inspection head 16 are then executed on theboard 4A conveyed to the mounting/inspection module M8, the board 4A isconveyed to the reflow module M9 so that soldering is performed on theboard 4A by the reflow module M9.

Also in the second individual mounting lane L2, component mounting workis continuously executed on the board 4B in the same manner as in theaforementioned example. The first work mode can achieve high productionefficiency because component mounting work is executed continuously onthe single board type without setup change work. Accordingly, the firstwork mode is suitable for the production form which requires massproduction. Although the example described here is an example in whichdifferent board types (board 4A and board 4B) are the targets in thefirst and second individual mounting lanes L1 and L2 respectively, oneand the same board type (e.g. board 4A) may be put into both the firstand second individual mounting lanes L1 and L2 when a higher productionquantity is required for one board type.

Multi-board mounting work executed according to the second work modewill be described next with reference to FIG. 13. The second work modeis a mode in which component mounting work is intermittently executed ona plurality of board types while setup change work is executedrepeatedly whenever the board type is changed in either or both of thefirst and second individual mounting lanes L1 and L2. Here is shown anexample in which component mounting work is continuously executed on asignal board type in the first individual mounting lane L1, butcomponent mounting work is intermittently executed on a plurality ofboard types while setup change work is executed repeatedly in theindividual printing mechanism of the second individual mounting lane L2whenever the board type is changed in the individual mounting lane.

That is, in the first individual mounting lane L1, component mountingwork is continuously executed on one board type board 4A in the samemanner as in the first work mode shown in FIG. 12. On the other hand, inthe second individual mounting lane L2, component mounting work isexecuted on a scheduled production quantity (three in this example) ofone-board-type boards 4C and then the board type is changed toanother-board-type board 4D. That is, in the second work mode shown inFIG. 13, component mounting work for a plurality of board types in oneindividual mounting lane (the second individual mounting lane L2 in thisexample) and component mounting work for a single board type in theother individual mounting lane (the first individual mounting lane L1 inthis example) are executed simultaneously and concurrently. The secondwork mode is suitable for the case where a higher production quantity isrequired for one board type (board 4A in this example) than for anotherboard type in the production form in which component mounting work isexecuted on a plurality of board types.

However, in this case, board conveyance from the second individualprinting mechanism 8B after printing is stopped while setup change worksuch as mask plate exchange due to the board type change is executed onthe second individual printing mechanism 8B in the screen printingmodule M2. As a result, as shown in FIG. 13, a “board waiting state” inwhich there is no work target board in some modules in the secondindividual mounting lane L2 is generated. When such a “board waitingstate” is generated frequently, the total actual operating rate of themounting line is lowered to spoil productivity of equipment. It istherefore desirable that lowering in actual operating rate is preventedas much as possible.

In such a case, a method as shown in FIG. 14 can be used for componentmounting work according to the aforementioned second work mode. Here,when the board 4A printed by the first individual printing mechanism 8Ais delivered to the application/inspection module M4, the board 4A isdelivered not only to the first individual mounting lane L1 but also tothe second individual mounting lane L2 while setup change work isexecuted on the second individual printing mechanism 8B in the screenprinting module M2. That is, the board 4A is delivered not only to thefirst board conveyance mechanism 12A but also to the second boardconveyance mechanism 12B by the board distributing function (see FIG. 3)of the board distributing module M3 (see the arrows C1 and C2). In thismanner, the printed board 4A is fed also to the second individualmounting lane L2 and conveyed to a board conveyance mechanism whichbelongs to the second individual mounting lane L2 and in which a “boardwaiting state” is generated in the electronic component mounting modulesM5, M6 and M7 (the board conveyance mechanism of the electroniccomponent mounting module M5 in this example), so that componentmounting work is executed on the board 4A by a corresponding componentmounting mechanism.

That is, in the example shown in FIG. 14, in the second work mode, theboard printed by an individual printing mechanism (the first individualprinting mechanism 8A) belonging to the other individual mounting lane(the first individual mounting lane L1) is conveyed into a boardconveyance mechanism belonging to one individual mounting lane (thesecond individual mounting lane L2) in the component mounting portion(the electronic component mounting modules M5, M6 and M7) by the boarddistributing portion (the board distributing module M3) during executionof setup change work in an individual printing mechanism (the secondindividual printing mechanism 8B) belonging to the individual mountinglane so that component mounting work is executed on the board in theindividual mounting lane.

In this manner, generation of the board waiting state due to the boardtype change can be avoided as much as possible, so that lowering inactual operating rate can be prevented. Incidentally, this example ispremised on the fact that the tact time of printing work performed bythe first individual printing mechanism 8A is shorter than the tact timeof component mounting work performed by the component mountingmechanisms of the electronic component mounting modules M5, M6 and M7 onthe downstream side, and that the first individual printing mechanism 8Ahas throughput capacity to spare.

As described above, according to the invention, provided is anelectronic component mounting system which is formed so that a screenprinting portion having a plurality of individual printing mechanisms isconnected to an upstream side of a component mounting portion having aplurality of board conveyance mechanisms and which is configured so thateither of a first work mode in which component mounting work iscontinuously executed on a fixed board type in all individual mountinglanes and a second work mode in which component mounting work isintermittently executed in one individual mounting lane while setupchange work is repeated in corresponding one of the individual printingmechanisms whenever board types are changed from one to another in theindividual mounting lane is selectively designated in multi-boardmounting work in which the individual mounting lanes are operated toexecute component mounting work on a plurality of boards simultaneouslyand concurrently. In this manner, both mass production of one and thesame items and small volume production of many items can be usedsuitably selectively by one electronic component mounting line, so thathigh productivity and responsiveness to production of many items can beachieved consistently.

Although the invention has been described in detail and with referenceto a specific embodiment, it is obvious to those skilled in the art thatvarious changes and modifications can be made without departing from thespirit and scope of the invention.

This application is based on Japanese Patent Application (PatentApplication 2008-258139) filed on Oct. 3, 2008 and the contents thereofare incorporated herein by reference.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The electronic component mounting system and the electronic componentmounting method according to the invention have an effect that componentmounting work can be executed on a plurality of boards simultaneously,concurrently and efficiently, and are useful in the electronic componentmounting field for mounting electronic components on boards to producemounted boards.

DESCRIPTION OF THE REFERENCE NUMERALS AND SIGNS

-   -   1 electronic component mounting line    -   4, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D board    -   8A first individual printing mechanism    -   8B second individual printing mechanism    -   10A first board distributing conveyor    -   10B second board distributing conveyor    -   12A first board conveyance mechanism    -   12B second board conveyance mechanism    -   15 application head    -   16 inspection head    -   46A first component mounting mechanism    -   46B second component mounting mechanism    -   M1 board supply module    -   M2 screen printing module    -   M3 board distributing module    -   M4 application/inspection module    -   M5, M6, M7 electronic component mounting module    -   M8 mounting/inspection module    -   M9 reflow module    -   M10 board collecting module

1. An electronic component mounting system formed so that a screenprinting portion for printing electronic component joint paste on boardsis disposed on an upstream side of a component mounting portion formounting electronic components on the boards, the electronic componentmounting system comprising: individual printing mechanisms which areprovided in the screen printing portion and controlled individually sothat printing operations can be performed independently and setup changeworks due to change in print target board type can be executedindividually; board conveyance mechanisms which are provided in thecomponent mounting portion to convey the boards printed and conveyed outof the individual printing mechanisms respectively, and componentmounting mechanisms which are provided in the component mounting portionto execute component mounting works on the boards conveyed by the boardconveyance mechanisms respectively; a mode instruction portion whichdesignates a work mode indicating a mode of component mounting work tobe executed by each of individual mounting lanes in multi-board mountingwork in which the individual mounting lanes each composed of acombination of corresponding one of the individual printing mechanisms,corresponding one of the board conveyance mechanisms and correspondingone of the component mounting mechanisms are operated to executecomponent mounting work on boards simultaneously and concurrently; and acontrol portion which controls the screen printing portion and thecomponent mounting portion in accordance with the designated work mode;characterized in that: the mode instruction portion selectivelydesignates either of a first work mode in which component mounting workis continuously executed on a single board type in each individualmounting lane, and a second work mode in which component mounting workis intermittently executed on a plurality of board types in oneindividual mounting lane while the setup change work is executedrepeatedly in the individual printing mechanism of the individualmounting lane whenever the board types are changed from one to anotherin the individual mounting lane.
 2. The electronic component mountingsystem according to claim 1, wherein component mounting work on theplurality of board types in the individual mounting lane and componentmounting work on the single board type in another individual mountinglane are performed simultaneously and concurrently in the second workmode.
 3. An electronic component mounting method performed by anelectronic component mounting system formed so that a screen printingportion for printing electronic component joint paste on boards isdisposed on an upstream side of a component mounting portion formounting electronic components on the boards, the electronic componentmounting system including: individual printing mechanisms which areprovided in the screen printing portion and controlled individually sothat printing operations can be performed independently and setup changeworks due to change in print target board type can be executedindividually; board conveyance mechanisms which are provided in thecomponent mounting portion to convey the boards printed and conveyed outof the individual printing mechanisms respectively, and componentmounting mechanisms which are provided in the component mounting portionto execute component mounting works on the boards conveyed by the boardconveyance mechanisms respectively; a mode instruction portion whichdesignates a work mode indicating a mode of component mounting work tobe executed by each of individual mounting lanes in multi-board mountingwork in which the individual mounting lanes each composed of acombination of corresponding one of the individual printing mechanisms,corresponding one of the board conveyance mechanisms and correspondingone of the component mounting mechanisms are operated to executecomponent mounting work on boards simultaneously and concurrently; and acontrol portion which controls the screen printing portion and thecomponent mounting portion in accordance with the designated work mode;wherein the mode instruction portion selectively designates either of afirst work mode in which component mounting work is continuouslyexecuted on a single board type in each individual mounting lane, and asecond work mode in which component mounting work is intermittentlyexecuted on a plurality of board types in one individual mounting lanewhile the setup change work is executed repeatedly in the individualprinting mechanism of the individual mounting lane whenever the boardtypes are changed from to another in the individual mounting lane. 4.The electronic component mounting method according to claim 3, whereincomponent mounting work on the plurality of board types in theindividual mounting lane and component mounting work on the single boardtype in another individual mounting lane are performed simultaneouslyand concurrently in the second work mode.